Rising Case Cancellations

According to the latest quarterly statistics from the Department of Health, 19,471 NHS elective operations were cancelled on the day due to non-medical reasons - a 19% increase when compared with the same period in 2013(1) - equipment failure is considered one of the common reasons for case cancellations(2)

Take Steps to Reduce Your Equipment Failure Rate Medtronic's dedicated service team are available to work with hospitals to ensure your equipment is maintained and calibrated each year ensuring best performance and reducing failure rates due to wear and tear. Medtronic also offers an extensive equipment pool enabling hospitals access to a loaner or a refurbished replacement within 24 hours of being notified of an equipment failure

Reduced Budget for New Capital

Five years ago, David Nicholson, ex-NHS Chief Executive stated that "after a decade of investment and reform…the NHS, along with other public services, [was] about to enter perhaps the toughest financial climate it has ever known"(3). Today, these words have more significance than ever and together with the high savings targets in place has lead to a reduction in the funding available for new capital purchases.

How to Make Your Existing Capital Equipment Go Further Medtronic offers an Exchange Service Programme to support all small capital Medtronic equipment. Medtronic will exchange the broken piece of equipment for a factory certified refurbished replacement. This programme eliminates the need to find budget to purchase replacement equipment or pay repair costs. All repairs and standard part replacements are included free of charge under a standard service agreement. The price of the agreement on a piece of equipment is often less than the cost would be of a single 'pay as you go' repair and the need to find budget for unexpected repairs is avoided.

Tighter Control from Regulatory Bodies

There is an increasing amount of attention being given to the way medical devices are managed and maintained. The 'safety, availability and suitability of equipment' is a key focus of the Care Quality Commission (CQC)(5) and CQC hospital inspections are becoming more extensive with a focus on conducting thorough evidence based assessments.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) recommends that 'the frequency and type of planned preventative maintenance should be specified, in line with the manufacturer's instructions and taking account of the expected usage and the environment in which it is to be used'(5).

Don't Get Caught Out...Make Sure Your Equipment is in Safe Hands Medtronic does not distribute detailed maintenance manuals, spare parts and testing equipment, and therefore hospital engineers and third party suppliers may not have the knowledge base and facilities to deliver the very highest quality required for planned service and repair of complex medical equipment.

Medtronic strongly recommends planned maintenance and repairs are undertaken by Medtronic's qualified and skilled service and repair personnel who have been specifically trained for the tasks and have direct access to the spare parts and dedicated test equipment.

By allowing Medtronic to carry out the planned maintenance and repairs it ensures that the equipment liability in respect to these aspects remains with Medtronic and that complete service documentation is available for the hospital.

If you would like further information or wish to be contacted by a ResponseCare Representative please contact: